Knight by Night
by FanFreak2002
Summary: People can change with the time of day and with each passing one she found herself getting closer to a certain redneck.
1. Atlanta Survivor's Camp

**[Yet another one…this one I'm only on the fourth chapter so I might update it as I progress with it as a reader insert. And unlike the inserts it's not really going to be a surprise at the end…sad face…but I thought this mini crossover was a fun idea. ]**

Atlanta Survivor Camp:

Louise yawned before opening her eyes, and she knew from how dark it was that she overslept. Clamoring out of the sleeping bag she hopped off the floor to change her clothes. It was hot, too fucking hot; it shouldn't be this muggy with the sun down. But as the time kept passing she figured that was how the south was. She liked the people, the scenery was beautiful, but the sweltering heat always had her longing for home.

"Good morning sleepyhead, or should I say good night?"

She smiled, rolling her eyes. "Always funny, Amy. Everything okay today?"

She shrugged. "The same, except…"

She strapped her knife on, glancing back at her when she went to tie on her shoes. By Amy's darting eyes and swaying something happened.

"What's the matter? Did someone get hurt?"

Her brows rose. "No, nothing like that, Glenn and I thought it'd be a good idea to give you a warning."

"Where is Glenn?"

Stepping out of the RV Louise was further immersed in the heat, though the smell of burning wood coming from the middle of camp was pleasant. The sky had turned to navy, some stars beginning to twinkle with barely enough pink drifting down the mountains. Making her way to the various chairs and logs she and Amy plopped themselves down next to the young man.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

Glenn shrugged, taking a huge bite from the skewered meat he held. "Thought you could use the sleep, you scavenged the whole night before."

"Here you go, hon."

Startled she turned to see Carol holding a plate out to her. "Thanks, I'm sorry I didn't help cook, someone decided to let me be tardy."

Glenn sputtered, talking around the food in his mouth. "This is what I get for being nice?"

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Glenn."

Looking sheepish he nodded to the older woman. "Yes, ma'am."

She nudged Glenn's side. "Thank you for letting me sleep, I do appreciate it. I just want to pull my own weight around here. All you He-Men think you do everything, like to prove otherwise."

"We do not."

"Do too."

"Not."

Amy chimed in with her. "Too."

They giggled, Glenn feigning exasperation with them both.

"Amy said you both had a warning for me…very ominous."

He shifted in his seat, looking back to his food. "Not really a warning, per se, we got a few newcomers to the camp. Just want you to be careful."

She looked around the camp, counting the same number of tents as the night before. Amy pulled her arm.

"They set up their camp down that way."

Squinting her eyes as they were still adjusting to the diminishing light she made out smoke as a fire was being lit, a bump of what had to be a tent set up on the edge of the cliff.

"Why're they down there?"

"Loners I guess. They weren't too friendly, tried to say hi and one grunted while the other made a pass at me."

She laughed. "Oh, God, Glenn why didn't you wake me! I missed out – if they like to be alone, why'd they come here?"

"Safety in numbers? That's all I could come up with, not going to complain about it. They brought us food already."

Louise realized what she had been shoveling in her mouth wasn't fish. "Oh."

"Hunters. I like them fine as long as they stay down there."

Aghast, she scoffed. "Wow, Glenn, I never thought I'd see you be the unfriendly one, Walsh or me usually take that role."

"They keep calling me Chinese. I told them I'm not, I'm freakin' Korean!

She pinched his cheek. "Of course you are. Look at this face it's too kawaii to not be Korean."

He tried to look mad, failing, as a grin tugged his face. "That's Japanese."

"Still think it applies."

One by one they started leaving. Lori, Miranda and Carol going first to usher their kids to bed. Glenn and Amy always tried to stay up as long as they could with her but ended up succumbing to the night and going to bed. With that it was down to her and Dale who was dozing in the lawn chair on his RV. She stoked the fire, making sure it kept going to give her some help in the dark but low enough it wouldn't attract much attention. She gathered the laundry that had been left out for the night; dirty clothes were never ending here – the ladies doing the bulk in the daytime with her doing what was left at night. She needed to check her traps too, so she headed towards the water with the basket on her hip. Going past she thought about seeing if the inhabitants of the new tent had anything that needed tending but with it so late she decided not to. She settled to tell them she'd be glad to take care of their clothes before she went to sleep. 

Setting the clothes in the water she put some dish soap on the stains, scrubbing the spot before allowing them all to soak, going to fold the clothes that were dry from the day. Louise climbed back up setting the clothes outside the designated tent, a rock on top to keep them in place. The net trap she had in the lake didn't have much in it, so she repositioned it, praying it would have a better haul when she came back. With her penlight she ventured through the woods, checking the snare traps she had laid out near the camp. Only two had caught anything, but every one of them was missing the tiny bit of bait she had used.

"Damn, animals are getting smarter."

A small rabbit and a squirrel, to feed over twenty people. Besides the mushrooms Lori could find there wasn't a lot of vegetation in the woods, so a stew seemed to be out. It would be hard but maybe she could talk everyone in letting her borrow a vehicle to go on a run soon. She didn't like the idea of anyone coming with her, but they knew she was smart, and fast so hunger and need for supplies could be in her favor to let her go. She was heading back to the quarry when she heard twigs snapping near her. She halted, hearing silence, a walker wouldn't have paused whatever made that was either animal or human. Turning behind slowly, she tried to see if anything caught her eye when it didn't she pushed back forward.

"Hell ya think yur goin'?"

It wasn't that it was human that scared her, but that it was unfamiliar. Gruff and pissed off – male for sure.

"I'm going back to my camp…what about you?"

Peering over her shoulders she searched again, the man coming from behind a thatch of branches.

"Didn't see ya up there before, how I know ya ain't lying and tryin' ta steal something?"

Her eyes usually did well in the dark, but with the figure so far away she couldn't make him out.

"You're the new guys aren't you, the hunters?"

The man didn't reply, and her shoulders slumped. "If you have to you can ask Dale or Glenn in the RV. You know the one you keep calling a Chinaman."

He came up to her then, dirty pale skin that was starting to tan coming in view. "Come on then."

Leading back out to camp, she waited to follow him to the RV but was surprised when he started going the other way.

"Hey. I thought you needed to…confirm my identity."

He hitched a crossbow on his shoulder before looking at her with what could be described as feline eyes. Slanted, calculating, daunting, and colored in an unnatural shade of blue.

"Ya wanna wake them up we can, ya know their names unless ya been stalkin' them didn't see how you'd know them otherwise."

"Thank you for giving me the benefit of the doubt then. Since you're awake if you need someone to I can mend and wash your clothes for you. I don't mean to brag but I'm pretty good at getting out stains. Just leave them outside your tent before you go to bed and I'll get to them."

His stare was meant to intimidate, but when she wouldn't drop her eyes he relented shaking his head without a word while heading for his tent.

"I'm Louise, if you were curious."

He didn't give her his, instead narrowing his eyes and gestured to the woods.

"Only thing I'm curious about is how the hell yur stupid enough ta go off in there when it's dark. Ya that suicidal?"

She shook your head. "No, I'm not. I can't be out in the daytime, and it might not be twenty-twenty but I can see well in the dark. I can handle myself decently. So I take night shift. Let people rest while I do what I can, hence, why I don't mind to do the laundry. It keeps my hands busy."

The question was easy enough on his face, making her sigh.

"I have solar urticarial it's not as severe as it could be but I still can't –"

"The fuck's that?"

Giving a pensive smile, she shrugged. "I'm allergic to the sun."

He hadn't believed that shit at first. How can someone be allergic to the goddamn sun? It was easy to see now; she refused to go to sleep after last night, walkers infesting the camp so now the girl dug graves with the Asian boy. And with the clouds dispersing the sun beat down harder and he could see the harsh red welts forming on her hands, splotches on her face, the hoodie she had put on to shield her making it worse as sweat gathered on the spots.

"Give me that thing and get inside."

He reached for the shovel, but she twisted it out of his reach.

"Thank you, Daryl, but no. They were my friends and I want to do this for them."

Damn stubborn streak pissed him off, any other woman here would've handed the damn thing over.

"Ya look like a damn lobster."

She gave a tired laugh, wiping the excess sweat from her face with a sleeve. "But a cute one right?"

He snorted. "No such thing as a cute lobster."

The smile she flashed had his ears burning. "I'm from the north and I can tell you that's not true."

Yeah, he knew she was a damn Yankee, something Merle had loved to tease her over before he was gone. She hadn't minded it either. He couldn't help but stare as she continued working. Why the hell did she have to be so nice to everyone? She had bitchy moments like the rest of them, but still she was nice. The only ones in camp to come over and ask if they needed anything, to see if they'd join the rest for supper, to see how they were. It was weird, and he waited the first week for her to come out and ask what she really wanted from them but it never came. Then Merle was gone, she continued to come over, but without his crude remarks to make her laugh it was mostly polite conversation and ill-timed smiles. But Daryl had started coming out more at night, claiming Dale's old ass wasn't doing any good falling asleep on everyone. He didn't sleep much anyways. And one night he caught her attention while he was cleaning his arrows.

"What're you doing?"

There wasn't revulsion in her tone, nothing to say he was doing something wrong and she decided to judge him. Usually whenever she asked something he could hear the fascination inside, curiosity making the awkwardness fade.

"Fixin' the carbon shaft so I can reattach the fletching to it."

"May I help?"

"Ya ain't got laundry to do?"

He wanted to hate that laugh she gave, hated it more that he didn't. "There's always laundry to do. But this looks fun, might come in handy to know too. If you'll let me."

He stopped the knife on the shaft, clicking his tongue at the genuine interest on her face. "Fine, sit yur ass down and don't ask too many questions."

"He's bit! JIM'S BIT!"

Both of them turned towards the camp, Jacqui backing away from the older man. He looked him over; he could smell guilt on him.

"Show us."

Jim refused and when he was held down he ran up to look seeing the huge chunk out of his side. He needed to be put down, before it spread. Before whatever shit that saliva had got to his brain.

Everyone kept saying how he was human and didn't deserve to be killed; they wanted to treat the shit like the flu like popping a few pills would cure him. Gripping the pick he had he lunged for Jim, stopping when Louise flung yourself on the man. When he froze he heard a gun clicking behind him.

"We don't kill the living."

That was funny, real fucking funny. And he started to stampede off when Louise stopped him.

"I do agree with what you meant Daryl. It's going to be bad for Jim. It's – he's going to rot from the inside out until there's nothing left of him. But the way you went about it was wrong."

"How the fuck was I –"

"It was hateful. You were doing it out of logic and fear of what could happen –"

"I ain't afraid of no –"

"Jim's a good man, and he shouldn't have to be killed like that. People like him shouldn't have to die feeling hated. No one deserves that Daryl."

He chewed his tongue, picking up his pickaxe to return to the bodies. "Get yur ass inside before I throw ya in."


	2. Heading to the CDC

Chapter Text

Knight by Night Pt. 1 ½  
On the Way to the CDC:

Death was the easiest and hardest thing in the universe. It was so easy to get killed, so many ways, so many causes, but it was so hard to allow it. No one wanted to die, no one wanted to go off into the unknown, and it was so hard for the people left behind, hard for them to let those people go. Seeing all the people get torn apart as she fought through the mob of walkers…it would be a lie to say it was the first time she saw something like that, but it hurt just as much if not more so. Amy was gone, and Andrea was devastated. That look of such abundant grief was all so familiar to her that she stayed away, having slid back into the RV before Andrea had finished burying her sister. Amy and Glenn had been the first friends she had allowed herself to have since her family had been taken from her life. Now it was back to how it started, whittled down one by one. It'd go on until there was no one left.

Pulling up the sheets Dale had found to cover the windows she threw off the stifling hoodie, able to breathe again as the sweat beaded and dried. It left her with the feeling she had played in the ocean. She didn't want to cry, she hardly ever did to begin with, and that left her sliding on the floor next to the bed. Her face hurt, she knew she stayed out too long. She hadn't put that much sunscreen on, wanting to stretch it until she found some more. Poor decision now that she knew it didn't work. The corticosteroids she had were running low too, and without a book or something telling her the list of the ones she needed to look for her supply was going to deplete. She had aloe though; lots of it, and she slathered it on. The relief was minimal but it was enough to soothe the sting. She gave one of the throbbing bumps on her face a poke, praying they would go down and not blister.

"Louise?"

She gazed at the door, while it cracked open. "Yeah, Glenn?"

"You okay?"

She nodded, solemn. "Yeah. It all just happened so quick, you know?"

He came in the room, taking a seat on the bed. "Yeah. I do."

It was always hard and a little weird to think of everyone she had met, their life before, they all had families – people who loved them. She knew Glenn had parents, two older sisters. She tried to picture that, a little Glenn, if they were like her sister they would've used him like a doll. Dressing him up, tea parties, maybe putting makeup on him. And he lost that. All of them had lost a lifetime of memories in a split of a second. She leaned on his knee. It was never an issue with the two of them, the platonic realm of the friendship. It was like she could pretend she was family.

"I wish I had been closer…to Amy. Maybe I could've helped her, and she wouldn't –"

Be gone. Dead. Shot through the head.

"There's nothing you could've done, Louise. Fact is, I kinda thought you were…you know. We couldn't find you for so long."

"I'm sorry. There were so many, I tried to get them to follow through the woods to the traps. Not many did."

"It was smart, and you did what you could."

"Sure."

They were both quiet for a while before Glenn cleared his throat. "Rick came up with the idea to head to the CDC. Someone there might be able to tell us something about all this. Maybe they can help Jim."

She was going to sputter out something sarcastic but stopped seeing the expression on Glenn's face, he had hope. He hadn't seen what a person went through when they were bit. Didn't know that it whatever rotted sludge is on the dead's teeth rushes through the bloodstream and shuts the immune system down. An adult usually didn't last a day, but she had seen it. Knew firsthand that a child could last up to three days, they're immune systems in top condition trying to battle off the virus. But succumbing to it in the end. Yet she kept your mouth shut. If there was hope in them let them have it, there could be something there, supplies, a safe place to lie for a while.

"Sounds good. Better than that damn fort Walsh wants to drag us to."

"It'll be closer anyways…um, I know you use it in here so, you know, you don't…but the group needs to –"

She smirked. "Glenn just spit it out."

"They want to put Jim in here. So he can rest."

"Hey, if he doesn't mind it a little dark then I'll watch him. It'll all be fine."

Glenn smiled, perking up at her ease of the situation. "Right. Your right, everything's going to work out. Something's got to, doesn't it? I'm going to let everyone know."

Louise made sure everything was pinned up well, settling into the small stack of pillows on the floor. Sighing she reached into your knapsack – clothes, toothbrush, regular brush, odds and ends. But she found what she was looking for. It was a picture of her and Amy, taken when Glenn had snagged a Polaroid from a run. It had been late and she couldn't sleep, both of them talking and working through the night. She had wanted to take the photo to commemorate her new friends. They both looked like shit from doing laundry and other chores, sweaty from the balmy air. Part of her wanted to hoard it for herself but the other part knew Andrea might like to have it. They both knew this loss, but the greater one would be when the image of them would start to fade. She had been around her family every single day of her life, but without that constant, their faces, mannerisms, voices it all started to blur. Yes, she had some moments that she could recall so vividly but to forget a few pieces of them was like losing them all over again.

She would be asleep right now under different circumstances, but was too wired from everything. After waiting several minutes her anxiety got the better of her so you went back outside to see what the holdup was. Exiting the RV the sun blinded her; God she needed to find another hat or something soon, some sunglasses would be nice. When her eyes stopped burning she was able to make out everyone in a circle near the cars, she made her over to them sure to make quick strides to ask what was happening and make a beeline back to the safety of the RV.

"Something wrong?"

Louise had been waiting for the group to respond, not expecting the surly voice to come from behind. "Yeah, sumthin's wrong, your dumbass's back out here."

She jumped, turning to see Daryl sweaty and bloody from burning and burying the dead.

"I thought you guys were bringing Jim in to keep me company. None of you came so I was afraid something's wrong."

She saw Daryl begin to snarl when footsteps drew you to the other direction. It was the guy Glenn and them brought back the other day – Rick, Carl's dad, Lori's husband. The one who handcuffed Merle up, tried to go after him. He seemed like a decent man. Hell, he was a cop, but then again so was Walsh. Heard them say they worked together, good friends, so how decent was he when Walsh was such an asshole?

"We're about to load up soon, just affirming everything, saying goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

She searched their faces and landed on Miranda who gave a sad smile.

"No."

She reached out to Louise, pulling her into a hug. The older woman shorter than her but held that such maternal strength.

"It's for the best, novia. It's our time to find how our loved ones did."

After wishing them luck, and saying goodbyes she felt herself pulled from behind back to the RV. She saw Rick striding closer, hand going out.

"Now listen, we can't have that."

It was Daryl pulling her, and in a moment she knew the sheriff thought he was hurting her. It made her laugh, Daryl could shoot a squirrel between the eyes, probably punch a guy's head off, but he wasn't an abuser. He'd let a girl beat him up before raising a hand. He reminded her of a dog she used to pass on her way to school growing up. It had been some kind of boxer breed, jumping up on his hind legs to stand against the fence, barking ferociously. All living things on some level could smell fear, and at nine she was aware of that. But she stood her ground, a trait she held onto even now, baby talking the dog as his ear went back in confusion. She brought him treats, keeping the soothing voice until the day he didn't use the ferocious bark instead using one of eagerness. One day she came up, holding her hand out against the protests of her siblings while the dog sniffed your hand before giving a tentative lick. After that they were best friends. That old saying his bark's worse than his bite seemed to adhere to Daryl just as well.

"Can't have what? None of you are gonna put her in there. Ya'll just gonna leave her out ta burn to death."

Rick didn't understand, looking at her to explain. But Daryl speaking instead.

"Look at her damn face; she can't be out her that long."

She flushed. Louise hadn't cared about her appearance since this started, why should she? People were dying and coming back there was no time to give a shit how she looked. But having Daryl Dixon, filthy and sweaty usually not giving a shit about anything pretty much saying her face was horrendous enough to be used as an explanation it made her want to lock herself in the bathroom to use the mirror.

"It's fine, Mr. Grimes. Daryl wouldn't hurt us, and as much as it hurts to say he's right. Just bang on the side of the RV if you guys need help or something."

Rick nodded, eyes steady on her. "We will, I promise we won't leave anyone out."

You smiled in reply, seeing his honesty. You let Daryl drag you back inside, and you nearly sighed from the relief of the cover.

"Thanks for calling me ugly out there, Dixon."

"Didn't call ya fuckin' ugly. Yur face is all red and shit."

She rubbed at the raised bumps on her cheek. "I know. I hate it. But I needed to do it.

He was staring at her, like he had something to say. When he wouldn't let it out she spoke up.

"Wanted to thank you for doing it too, all the help you do…for staying."

He was biting the inside of his cheek. If she had to take a guess, Daryl was nervous.

"Don't gotta thank me for that shit. Stayed cause I wanted to. Figured it was like ya said, we're both out lookin' for each other, end up bumping inta him sooner or later."

She nodded. "I think you will."

He started to leave before he turned back around. "I thought about what you were sayin'. Maybe I did do it wrong, I –"

He clamped his mouth shut. "I'd still want someone ta do it for me though. Merle had a stash here with him. Not much, but if Jim's wantin' to could help him. Help him fall asleep then, ya know…"

"I'll ask him. That's kind of you, Daryl. He can dream for a while before…He shouldn't have to hurt so much."

"I hear ya. Keep an eye on him though, just in case."

She smiled, watching Daryl's eyes cast to the ground before leaving the RV.


End file.
